I might purchase a second-hand Fury 220 that was made in December 2000. It has 350 jumps on it, apparently. I know at least the older Fury canopies were F111, but are newer ones ZP? Will this be, from 2000?

But! At 350 jumps, a non-ZP canopy may or may not be in peak condition any more. In particular, flare might not be what it was. But some age better than others and you could definitely get some use out of it, and for 200 it could be worth it...

If you weigh under about 210 lbs out the door, you will be ok under it. You will not like the flare, or the lack of forward speed. But you will learn lots about shooting accuracy going backwards on windy days. If 200 UK is the same as 300 US then the price is sort of ok, but I'd try to get it for less. But I'm cheap. There is not a lot of market for these, but there is some. They have been used for both BASE and CRW in the past. At 300 jumps, the uncoated fabric is "broken in" (porous) but it will not get a lot worse than it is for a few hundred more jumps. Usually they are completely finished by 600 or 700, unless a real light weigh person is jumping it.

I just want any kit to get me off rental gear, which ideally I could sell on in 100 jumps time - but who knows where I'll be then? I've now been looking for kit for well over six months and it's only a few times I've seen a 190, let alone a 200+. Very rare.

I've been jumping rental Nav 240's mostly so far, so as long it's not worse than those (they seem fine!) then I won't notice or mind.

A 12 year old Fury with 350 jumps is a worn out dinosaur of a canopy. It will be an earth seeking missile, will be much less responsive than the Nav you have been flying and will have a weak flare. You should be able to buy it for $200 , 1/3 less than the asking price. There's nothing wrong with making an offer lower than the asking price, as there is almost NO market for this canopy. On the other hand, this could be a real cheap canopy to get you jumping. You will learn a lot. Your spotting will be a lot more important because of the lack of glide. If you can learn to land this canopy well, you will be able to land almost anything, because the timing on your flare will be critical. Don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with doing this as long as you know what you're getting. I paid $400 for ny first complete rig, got 100 jumps on it and sold it for what I paid. It kept me jumping.

A 12 year old Fury with 350 jumps is a worn out dinosaur of a canopy. It will be an earth seeking missile, will be much less responsive than the Nav you have been flying and will have a weak flare.

May I disagree ?

I have quite a few jumps on large F111 7 cells with over 300 and over 400 jumps, and I never felt anything close to what you are describing. A 1000+ jump F111 Manta on the other hand was quite interested in getting down very faster.

I've been jumping rental Nav 240's mostly so far, so as long it's not worse than those (they seem fine!) then I won't notice or mind.

It will be much worse than a Navigator. The Nav is a great canopy with lots of flare and good forward speed. The Fury will have less forward speed (despite being 20 sq ft smaller) and don't expect much in the flare department with an exit weight north of 200lbs.

Just skip the Fury all together. Where have you been looking for gear? Keep in mind that Chuting Star has a great escrow program where they will inspect used gear and handle payments between private sellers/buyers. You can buy from the US knowing that your money is secure and that your gear will be in the condition that you're expecting.

Another option, PM 'likestojump' on this site, and see what he has for sale. He buys and sells used gear all the time, and does quite a bit of business with overseas customers so payments and shipping are no big deal. He has a great reputation, and I think there's even a thread about what a great guy is to work with.

We currently have several of these canopies being used for CRW. They fly just fine, but then again, I grew up on F-111. I picked up a Furry with 3o jumps for about 200US. It's like new and flys/lands great. It came with a really old rig and reserve. Don't pay too much.

... and when you do find one, let us know. F-111 PUP?

@ Top... Did a downplane with your old Maverik a few weeks ago. It's still in the air.